Designing membrane proteins that function as ion channels is challenging. Now, peptides that self-assemble into water-soluble α-helical barrels have been repurposed to form ion channels in membranes by lining the interior with polar residues and the exterior with hydrophobic ones.
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Ghirlanda, G. Changing channels. Nat. Chem. 13, 621–623 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-021-00738-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-021-00738-7
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